Update: McCoy taps former GOP counsel as county attorney

Note:There are four updates to this post, so be sure to read to the end.

In his first round of appointments, newly minted Albany County Executive Dan McCoy reached across party lines to tap Thomas Marcelle, a longtime Republican and former counsel to the county Republican Party and legislative minority, as the next county attorney.

Recently, Marcelle switched his voter enrollment to the Conservative Party, the leadership of which has had a hot-and-cold relationship with county Republicans, who at times accuse the Conservatives of too often hitching their wagon to Democrats — like, you know, McCoy.

He also last year successfully led the county’s defense of its redistricting plan against a lawsuit alleging it violated federal voting rights laws. That case is pending in U.S. District Court, but a judge declined to halt November’s elections because of it.

Update: “I think it is a good fit. I think (McCoy is) serious about doing good things for the people of Albany County,” Marcelle just told me, adding that he and McCoy got to know each other during the redistricting lawsuit as well as during Marcelle’s time working for the minority.

He also said he did not change his voter enrollment at McCoy’s request.

“I think it’s going to be good because he’s worked so closely with our members,” Clarey said. “Right now, the county needs all the talent it can get.”

McCoy also announced three other appointments — including that Deputy County Executive Michael Perrin, who was No. 2 behind County Executive Michael Breslin since 2007, will be staying on in McCoy’s administration. Before becoming deputy county executive, Perrin spent 10 years as Breslin’s director of operations.

Perrin’s decision to stick around is significant because, as anyone who’s spent time around government knows, it’s often the deputies that are most immersed in policy and administrative issues.

Also nominated were:

Michael Perrin

Kathleen Dalton for commissioner of social services. Dalton, CEO of EDGE Government Solutions LLC, a government and technology consulting firm, has also served numerous posts in health and social services in state government.

Darrell R. Duncan for commissioner of public works. Duncan has served as New Scotland’s elected highway superintendent since 1994. He was re-elected in November on Democratic, Conservative and Independence party lines.

Marcelle, Dalton and Duncan’s appointments are all subject to confirmation by the county legislature, which McCoy’s office says it expects to vote on them Monday, Jan. 9. (This will no longer happen. See updates below.)

Will update with more as time allows.

Update x3:The legislature’s Personnel Committee is scheduled to meet Thursday night at 7 p.m. to review the three nominations prior to Monday, new legislative Chairman Shawn Morse said. Minority Leader Christine Benedict was also aware of the meeting.

But at least one Democratic lawmaker, Chris Higgins, questioned how that’s possible when the legislature has yet to appoint its new committees. The old ones, Higgins said, ceased to exist when the previous legislature’s term expired on Dec. 31.

He said Marcelle’s appointment ought to properly go before the Law Committee, which he chaired last year. Higgins said that is how the legislature handled the appointment of Public Defender James Milstein last year. Marcelle’s appointment, he said, can wait until February.

“There is no personnel committee. It doesn’t exist,” Higgins said. “Let’s wait until the committees are formed. What’s the rush?”

But Morse said he used his power as chairman to hold over the seven remaining members of the Personnel Committee in order to ensure McCoy can start his administration with key positions filled. The committee will, however, be down at least two members: legislators Brian Scavo, who lost his re-election bid, and the late George Infante, who died Sunday a day after he retired from public service.

Morse said that in his experience confirmations have always gone before the Personnel Committee and noted that the meeting will be open for all county lawmakers to attend.

“It’s really not a question of law,” Morse, who served as a deputy majority leader during McCoy’s chairmanship of the legislature, said. “It’s a question of confirmations.”

Update x4: Just heard again from Morse (around 9:30 p.m.), who told me Thursday night’s meeting to vet the candidates is off because of problems distributing the nominees’ resumes to all of the new legislators, not all of whom have been set up with county emails addresses yet. That also means the legislature will not vote on the confirmation’s Monday night as McCoy initially wanted, Morse said.

“I cannot or will not have a meeting until I know all members are informed and given time to participate,” Morse said in an email.

It’s about time the County Executive selected a qualified attorney for the post of County Attorney. We haven’t had one who knew what they were doing since Michael Lynch left to become Surpreme Court Judge. The last two were Breslin Clowns.

All they seemed to do was to say yes’m to Bres and to give thousands and thousands of dollars of contracts to outside counsel.

I am sure that Marcelle and McCoy are both savy enough to realize that the County Attorney’s Office has a lot of talent in there and has for years. But the last two County Attorneys thought it fit to give legal contracts to Breslin’s campaign contributors.

I am willing to give McCoy and Marcelle a chance. Can’t be much worse than the last 10+ years….

I have to disagree. Tom Marcelle is intelligent and honest. Tom was nominated for the County Attorney position because he is HIGHLY QUALIFIED, not for any other reason. Congratulations Tom and good luck!

Marcelle was nominated by former President George W. Bush to be a judge. Why is Dan McCoy nominating anyone affiliated with the second Bush Administration with anything? Even Republicans run from that Administration like the Plague…

Either Dan McCoy has made a severe miscalculation (not farfetched judging by his responses to a reporter about his overtime as an Albany firefighter) OR this is obvious political payback to the Republicans and Conservatives who would not field a candidate against him in the 2011 General Election (and actively undermined one of their own members from successfully mounting a challenge).

It’s a new year and Dan McCoy deserves a chance. What is it just a few days into the new year and some of you people are jumping all
over him. And give this attorney a chance too. No Republican can
win in Albany at this time. Liberal Democratic Albany….that’s why.

The newly appointed Chair of the Albany County Legislature, Mr Morse was partially right about the Albany Co. Legislative cofirmations of newly appointed Administrative Unit Heads.We must apply all the current principles as outlined in Article 2 of the Albany County Consolidated Charter, esp. Section 302C,(i)&(ii) which is available on the County Government website.

Cuomo getting big money from the Koch brothers. McCoy appointed Republicans. Jennings appointed Republican John Sweeney’s former intern as the head of buildings and codes (for which he is completely unqualified for).

Corning and O’Connell must be laughing in their graves. Long live the Machine!

Well Mr. McCoy did say it himself… he’s going to run the county like business. And we all know how big business is run, you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. I’ll put money on it that Republicans wouldn’t have hired a Democrat for any positions.

And another thing, I still do not understand why Mr. Coy needs to move his office in the County Building to the tenth floor. This subject has been put on the back burner but to all you tax payers it’s happening (trust me its happening). I guess that’s a good idea to waste tax payer’s money on refurbishing an office so you can have a nice view, kitchen and your own bathroom, when the County Executive office you occupy now is fine (good way to spend tax payer’s money). He’s talking about down sizing / consolidating county departments, moving county departments to new locations for what? And you need to move into a bigger office with nice views…. COME ON!!!

But I am still rooting for you Mr. McCoy, to make this county the work again.

@nina, I agree, McPloy deserves a chance. But I’ve been trying to figure out why the GOP ran no one for any countywide office and why Dunce Cleary and his peeps crushed Lebron from getting on the ballot.

It was to give GOPpers jobs. And now you have proof of a republican, Marcelle, who represented Jerry Jennings against Lebron in 2009 and lost. So Tom and the GOP were rewarded for decades of loyalty to the machine. Prove me wrong. Tom is not the only smart lawyer in town who went to cornell.

Why does it matter? Reps and dems are the only ones who run candidates. if the reps are selling out for a $80K job here and a $50K job there, well, we have one party rule. Not to mention a bunch of third world sellouts who rather get crumbs.

I have a friend from HS back in Brooklyn who went to law school with Tom. Smart guy willing to go wherever the grass is green. Cool. But if that green means screwing wth my ballot choice, we have problem.

Spare us the outrage, Mo. Poverty is appalling. War is apalling. The Kardashians, they are appalling. McCoy’s pick is not appalling. It simply demonstrates he is not the O’Connell reincarnate everyone says he is. He reaches across the aisle for these appointments when it is best for Albany County. Was he supposed to appoint one of your lefty pals? Why, so they could badmouth the County Executive behind his back at one of your many tea and crumpet parties at the Midtown Tap and Tea?

Uprising…you’re only half-right there. It’s not really reaching “across the aisle” anymore. The thing that is making O’Connell roll in his grave at night is the fact that the young boys like McCoy have sold out the Party to the highest bidder.

At the upper echelons of local politics, the Dems and the GOP are the same people. Graziano and Commisso. McCoy and Marcelle. It’s nothing new, and unfortunately it’s the standard these days.

However, I think Dan should be able to make his pick for attorney without too much political hey. In my opinion (you know what they say about opinions) the Legislature should really be looking at whether or not the candidate is qualified. While I don’t at all care for the politics of Tom Marcelle (particularly the right-wing conserva-nut nonsense) he is a talented attorney – arguably one of the best in the region – and if that’s the attorney that McCoy wants (conserva-nut baggage and all) that’s what he should get.

Oh, and “PLZ”, if you’re going to make a pathetic attempt at insulting somebody – you may want to try and use proper grammar… Maureen, whom I have come to blows with before, is a respected and important part of 1st Ward politics (whether you like it or not).

@uprising, McPloy was not reaching across the aisle, he was tapping the kid sitting next to him who helped him cheat on the exam. Tom Marcelle is part of the dem machine, and that is no secret. Just like Joe Sullivan, a machine democrat, became the GOP city chair to serve the machine so is Marcelle.

Just like Richard Stack is a CONservative who serves the machine. All in cohoots, all corrupt, and all in bed with each other. If we were in West Virginia, they would be playing banjos and their candidates would have six fingers.

Yes, under normal circumstances what McPloy did would be viewed as admirable. Parties simply do not go to the opposition for help. But:
– Given Toms history of helping democrat machinists, Lebron 2009 was not the only/first time.
– The Grand Old Punters taking a dive for EIGHT County wide offices
– The Democrats agreeing not to run anyone against 5 republicans in districts where dems and reps have equal enrollment (that’s right, dems were also cheated of a choice, not just reps)

I can only conclude that it was payback for years loyalty.

@PLZ, I think Maureen thinks she is a citizen, just like me and the others who think this is apalling.

Uprising,
Intersting username seeing as that is exactly what is coming.

For those that need help following, McCoy used Marcelle and Morse to help assist McCoy’s corruption of the County Redistricting plan. As an incoming Executive, McCoy knew he needed to stack the legisalture with his cronies in order to continue the corruption as Exec. So, no cutting of legislative seats or adding a 5th minority district occurred – just the creation of “special” districts to benefit McCoy and Stack endorsed candidates (and hurt those that fought the corruption). Look what they did to Sandy Gordon. His district was created specifically to benefit Deb Busch (heavily endorsed by Stack).

I haven’t been to a meeting since the budget hearings but may need to return soon to watch the show. Marcelle is a tool for McCoy. Don’t spew off about his qualifications, there are many candidates that are equally or more qualified. I’d bet you’d have to look no further than the County Attorney’s office.

And PLZ –
Maureen Obrien, like you, has the right to voice her opinion. At least she has the courage to post under her own name. Some of us stand for what we believe – others continue to post anonymously.